Posts: 1099 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Joined: 29.07.05
Posted on 07-06-2006 16:11
Singer's "Superman": With Fourth of July falling on a Tuesday, Warner Bros. is smart to be making the most of what the calendar offers by rescheduling its "Superman Returns" launch from Friday, June 30 to Wednesday, June 28.
The new release date gives the Bryan Singer film a seven-day period in which to get off the ground. Considering that Fox's "X3" (which Singer, of course, was originally going to direct, but then left to make "Superman" grossed nearly $123 million for just four days over Memorial Day weekend, "Superman" could enjoy out-of-this-world returns for its seven-day "opening weekend." Its Wednesday kickoff will generate heat-of-opening-day ticket sales and get word-of-mouth going. Sunday and Monday should be like two extra Saturday nights since most people won't have to get up to go to work Monday or Tuesday.
"Superman," from Warner Bros. Pictures in association with Legendary Pictures, is directed by Singer, produced by Jon Peters, Singer and Gilbert Adler and executive produced by Chris Lee, Thomas Tull and Scott Mednick. Its screenplay is by Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris and its story is by Singer & Dougherty & Harris. Starring are newcomer Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey, Kal Penn, Sam Huntington and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. The film is based upon characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics.
For some insights into how "Superman Returns" reached the screen after many years in development, I recently spoke to Singer, who characterized his film as being "a mixture of a unique take and a nostalgic take. Like my treatment of the 'X-Men' but with, perhaps, even a larger sensitivity because of the wider and longer history of 'Superman' I felt an obligation to maintain certain things that would stimulate our collective memory of who that character is.
"In other words, looking at some of the architecture from the '40s for the design, even though it's a contemporary film, as a nod to the comic book and looking very much at Richard Donner's 1978 film ('Superman,' starring Marlon Brando and Christopher Reeve, which grossed over $300 million worldwide) as a springboard and, most importantly, maintaining the character of Superman as a virtuous, idealistic character. The modern aspect, the unique aspect, is the world that he returns to -- Lois Lane is engaged to another person (and) has a child with this other person -- and with his feelings still intact for Lois Lane how he navigates through this almost insurmountable set of circumstances."
Asked about his departing "X3" to make "Superman" instead, Singer told me, "I've wanted to do it for years. I always have. In fact, back at the time when they were going to make a 'Superman vs. Batman' movie, my writer Mike Dougherty and I were discussing, 'What would you do? Who would be the villain? I guess Batman would be the villain, but he can't be that bad a villain because he's a hero.' It was frustrating because I had such reverence for 'Superman.' I'd been a fan since the George Reeves television series (and was a fan of) the Richard Donner movie."
The initial concept, he explained, "and my blessing to go forward was born of a conversation I had with Richard Donner in Austin, Texas, while I was promoting 'X-Men 2.' It was about three years ago at a Fox Home Video conference with Lauren (Lauren Shuler-Donner, a producer of all three 'X-Men' movies) and Dick. The three of us were in my hotel room and I said, 'What would you think if I did a 'Superman' movie?' And Richard Donner said, 'I think that would be a fabulous idea. What would you do? Would you remake my film?' And I said, 'No. I think it's a classic and in a strange way I'd 'sequelize' it. I'd have him be missing somewhere.' Where, I didn't know. 'And he'd come back and things will have changed.'
"I sort of pitched that general idea to him and he was very, very excited about it and his excitement about it gave me a kind of personal internal permission to seek it out further and think about it further. I had not resolved a deal. I was with Fox on 'X-Men 3.' I already had a previous deal on another picture developing at Warner Bros. so I had a familiarity with Warner Bros. (Then) the director fell out of 'Superman' and Warner Bros. was willing to take a lot of development -- nine years of development -- and a lot of dollars and sort of toss them away and write them off and go with this new idea, which I ultimately developed with Dan and Mike, my writers. It happened very quickly. I think we developed the initial concept over a long weekend in Hawaii and presented it to Warner Bros. and closed a deal in about 72 hours. That was right after Fourth of July weekend '04."
In 2003, Singer had read the "Superman" screenplay that Warner Bros. had in development at the time. "It wasn't bad. It just wasn't the story I wanted to tell. It was sort of an origin story. It sort of retold the 1978 film in a different (way). I felt the problem with that was that the first half felt very much like (the storyline from the TV series about the young Clark Kent/Superman) 'Smallville' -- not in a bad way, but young people are familiar enough with that. And to retread that in a more expensive fashion" wasn't what Singer wanted to do. "We show a little of that. There's a little nod to Clark growing up on the farm in this movie, but it's not a focus of the picture. I didn't want to retell the origin. Even before I had read this script I knew what I wanted to do with Superman. So I passed on it then.
"The director who got involved fell out eventually and then this happened before the Fourth of July of '04 and I presented the notion of doing it to Dan and Mike, my writers who had worked with me on 'X-Men 2,' when we were in Hawaii at a wedding. All three of us were there and we talked about it. We were at that time developing 'X-Men 3.' We were talking about it. There was no real deal for it, but we were talking about it. And then I just presented this notion and it kind of infected us through this long weekend in Hawaii. About the time we got back we had most of the treatment written. We finished it up and then I pitched it to (Warner Bros. president and chief operating officer) Alan Horn a few days later on a Friday and by Tuesday of the following week we had a deal and it was done. It had to be done kind of quickly to allow everyone at Fox to be able to do what they needed to do to get 'X3' off the ground and not inhibit that process."
Singer was replaced on "X3" by Brett Ratner, who had about six weeks to prepare for shooting. Singer didn't have much time before having to start pre-production on "Superman." "It was pretty aggressive. The whole thing was from Fourth of July 2004 to now," he said. "So the script development and writing and the pre-visualization sequences all had to happen very quickly. It was extremely rapid. Fortunately, Warner Bros. had already secured the stage space at Fox Studios in Sydney so we already knew we had that entire studio facility. I had made some commercials (in Australia) years ago, but I had never done a feature there. I had toured the studios. We just cranked on the script and also began the casting process and designs. I brought in my production designer (Guy Hendrix Dyas) and really just started (working). I set up an office at Warner Bros. and expanded through this entire building and started casting and scouting. It's been non-stop ever since right through to today."
Although Singer's been immersed in "Superman" for about two years now, he noted, "I've also been involved in other things. I produced a mini-series for the Sci-Fi Network, which we shot in South Africa about the Bermuda Triangle. That six hour mini-series was shot while I was I was in Sydney, but I was able to supervise my aspect of it from Sydney. And then my TV show 'House' took a place in-between 'X-Men 2' and 'Superman.' I was sort of shepherding (it) because I directed the pilot for that show. And then I also produced a documentary on the history of Superman from the character's inception all the way to our present movie for A&E and Warner Home Video. I was involved in these other projects simultaneously while being immersed in the movie so it was a real juggling act, particularly being in Sydney with sleep and time zones and Africa with the mini-series and Los Angeles. It was a pretty odd time. I don't know if I'd squeeze so many things into two years again, but they worked out."
Asked how he works when he's directing, Singer replied, "If I'm directing scenes involving action or stunts or visual effects I will storyboard it. I work with storyboard artists on a sequence. They will draw out the sequence based on my telling of the story or based on how I pitch it to them and discuss it with them. Then I look back at the storyboards and alter them so they're ready to transform into a pre-vis animatic, which is a computer animated (visual that's) almost a cartoon of the event. And that cartoon or pre-vis, as it's called, is a way to see how the scene flows and also is a guide to how the scene's going to be executed -- whether it involves visual effects, stunts, pyrotechnics or practical effects with the main actors, themselves, depending on how I'm going to do it. It's a really remarkable tool.
"When Steven Spielberg made 'Jurassic Park' (released in 1993) they did sort of a stop-motion animation of the whole dinosaur sequence so that when they came to the computer animation, the physical model and the actual interaction with real actors they'd know what they were doing. We've carried this forward using computers. There's a team of animators that sit about 20 feet from my office and all day long they're creating these sequences. And my writers have an office directly next to mine. So as the script is evolving I can walk into their offices and I can walk 10 feet further and a team of animators are actually crafting the action sequences on the computers and I can see where they are at various stages. It's all done in a pretty contained area. And that (is what) we use as a model to execute the action."
The script, he added, "is ever evolving. I don't rehearse with actors. I just never have. You know, on 'The Usual Suspects' I scheduled myself one day of rehearsal with Kevin Spacey and Chazz Palminteri and then Chazz got something in his eye -- like his contact lens got stuck in a funny place. I forced him to go to the hospital to have it dealt with because it was the day before shooting and I didn't want him to injure his eye. He did (go to have it looked at) and fortunately he was alright. But that was it. I think I have this fear that if I rehearse something and I get it really great in rehearsal and I don't recapture that same thing that I achieved in rehearsal on the set I will destroy myself trying to recreate the moment I got in rehearsal and it'll end up being less vibrant, less spontaneous and more frustrating for me. At a time when there are so many other elements involved in making these large visual effects films the prep worked is so elaborate that to even take time to rehearse would be difficult.
"There are certain scenes I remember in 'X-Men 1' where the scenes weren't really working and I brought the actors in on a weekend and we sort of talked out the scenes and tried to see what was not working about them. I got them to sort of do a quasi-rehearsal. That's the last time I can remember ever doing that. And sometimes we burn through some film when a certain actor arrives. I remember when Hugh Jackman arrived on the set for 'X-Men 1' figuring out the character (and) when Kevin Spacey arrived on the set of 'Superman' getting the tone of Lex Luthor. You know, you burn through some film -- or, in this case, digital tape -- figuring that stuff out. But I prefer to do it that way than have rehearsal time. I may change that on a different film. But even when I directed the pilot for 'House,' which was all very intensive dialogue, we did a read-through but there was no rehearsal."
Looking back at his greatest challenges during production, Singer pointed out that, "Dealing with water is always (difficult). We deal with water in this movie a bit and that was something I had not done before. It was like my first foray into that and it gave me a new level of respect for James Cameron as a director. It's weird -- and I didn't deal with it much -- but when you deal with any kind of water or tank work because of issues of safety it is truly time consuming. Again, we did nothing like what (Cameron's) done, but you're saying to yourself, 'Never again, never again' or 'I want to do a whole movie on the water. I want to lick this thing.' It's weird. You say you don't want to do it, but then you get the bug and you want to. And I'm a 'Jaws' fan. That was one of the first daunted by the ocean experiences. So (shooting on the water) was an interesting experience, something new that I was learning to deal with.
"We're doing some things that haven't been done regarding human animation. Superman flies, but unlike Spider-Man he has a cape and his face is uncovered so you've got hair and flesh and these things that are exposed. But how do we push the envelope there? When we use animation we do something we call a 'cyber scan' of Brandon and are able to reproduce him right down to the pores on his tongue and the fibrous hairs on his ears. In 1978 the tagline for 'Superman The Movie' was, 'You will believe a man can fly.' Well, at that time, using those conventional mechanical effects without rig removal wires they convinced us. And we have to do the same (today). We use computers to paint out wires and cranes and things like that. Back in 1978, they couldn't do that. They just had to avoid them with light and tricks. It was really an astonishing achievement during that time."
When we spoke, Singer was coming down to the wire finishing "Superman." "I've got a bunch of things going on," he said, referring to items that by now are either done or under control. "We're finishing recording the score. I have one more cue to do. I started my final mix so I go in and listen to sections of the film that the sound (is finished on). We've been pre-mixing for the last month and a half, but we've started our final mix so I'll start listening to sounds come together with a picture. And visual effects, visual effects, visual effects. Every day, new visual effects are (finished and we're) dropping them in, putting them in context, stepping back and looking at them. And while doing that, trying to stay on top of the global brand managing of the character, which is a whole other industry that you don't have with ordinary films. Everything from our Internet presence to our tie-ins with major corporations. Those are all things that I'm keenly involved in because I want to protect the image of the character and yet get it out there."
Did he do anything special during production to generate material for Warner Home Video to use when "Superman" ultimately is released in DVD? "We've done a few things," Singer replied. "We've done these really wonderful web logs, which have allowed fans to get on the Internet. They're on SupermanReturns. com and BlueTights.net, which have enabled fans to sort of have an eye into the production. They're kind of whimsical and fun and some of that documented material will be on the DVD. There's something I like about making-of experiences that are little movies in themselves. I think there's a kind of theater that happens during the making of a film that if it's portrayed correctly can be really interesting -- like 'Hearts of Darkness,' the making of 'Apocalypse Now.' It's sort of a scary version of that. So there will be a lot of that (making-of) material.
"I think we're going to something called 'The In-Movie Experience' where you'll be able to be watching the movie and then instantly go to making-of footage. It's sort of the next evolution in running commentaries. Instead of just hearing the filmmakers or the actors talk over the scenes you'll be able to leap in and experience the making of the scenes and experience what we call 'B Roll.' You'll be able to leap to it right in the middle of watching the movie. My hope is that people experience the movie first and then go back and do this not do (it first). I don't know about the first release of the DVD, but there's a sequence I cut from the movie, a pretty significant sequence, and that sequence will appear at some point on (a DVD edition of the movie). It's kind of a fun look into Superman's journey off the Earth (into space that) I didn't use it in the movie. It might be on the DVD. I haven't decided yet."
In exploring the ins and outs of how Singer likes to work, I asked what aspect of moviemaking he's most passionate about. "What do I enjoy the most? It's throughout the process," he replied. "I believe a film is written three times. Once on the page. Once on the set. And again in the editing room. I think during all these times of crafting a movie you have moments where a great idea comes. Either it comes from someone else or myself, but whenever the idea happens, whenever it's presented or I have it, it's like a rush of adrenalin -- a rush of good energy that comes over you. It's like lightning in a bottle. And you have it for your movie."
Thinking about that, he added, "I always go back to 'Jaws' and how I believe Steven Spielberg must have felt after his last take of Robert Shaw delivering that amazing monologue about the S.S. Indianapolis and saying, 'Wow! I have that moment in my movie. I have Robert Shaw delivering that scene in my movie.' And sometimes it's after you shoot it, after you shoot the moment. Sometimes it's when the idea just comes to you or someone presents the idea to you. It's those moments. And they can be through the writing, through the shooting -- on the set when an actor does something or you come up with something right there -- or in the editing where your editor says, 'Hey, look what I did,' and you're like, 'Aw! You get a save-the-film pin.'
"That's my little expression. When someone has a revolutionary idea that actually elevates the film a notch they get 'a pin.' It's not a real pin. It's just an expression. But to us in our creative group -- a lot of these folks have been with me for a long time making films, my crew and collaborators -- it means something to us."
Reflecting on how "Superman" differs from his previous movies, Singer observed, "The one thing I could say (about that) is the romantic nature of this film. This is different than my 'X-Men' films. This is not to dissuade any of the male audience or any of the action filmgoers, who'll have plenty of that, but it could be also called my first chick flick. It's a kind of modern romance in a way played out by very nostalgic characters."
Filmmaker flashbacks: From Aug. 10, 1987's column: "Before flying home to Australia last Thursday, John Cornell, who will direct as well as produce 'Crocodile Dundee II,' shared with me some of his and Paul Hogan's thoughts regarding their worldwide deal with Paramount for the sequel.
"The first time around, of course, Paramount distributed the picture domestically and 20th Century Fox had it abroad. 'It wasn't that we were unhappy with Fox,' Cornell told me. 'Fox did a good job. It was pretty hard to do a bad job with 'Crocodile' once it hit in Australia and America.'
"Not surprisingly, says Cornell, Fox also wanted to release the sequel abroad: 'They'd be crazy if they didn't want the sequel. But overall with Paramount having the foreign, it meant that I could improve the deal in North America because they had more of the pie. Paramount were the ones who took the big risk on 'Crocodile Dundee' by opening it up in 875 theaters and putting a big budget behind the advertising and marketing of it. I also felt some special affinity towards Paramount (distribution and marketing president) Barry London and (chairman) Frank Mancuso because they had done that, whereas 20th Century Fox domestic decided to pass on the film.
"'In fact, we gave 20th Century Fox a head start on 'Crocodile Dundee' because of Rupert Murdoch's ownership and the fact that we knew him. They decided to pass on it (for domestic) and Paramount were instantly enthusiastic about it and thought it would be a hit. Of course, they were right. I must say, incidentally, if Jean-Louis Rubin, who is the head of Fox foreign, had been in charge of Fox domestic, they probably would have had the film because he really liked it and thought it would work as well...'"
Update: "Crocodile Dundee II" opened May 25, 1988 to $24.5 million and went on to gross over $109 million domestically. It enjoyed the year's biggest opening weekend and ranked sixth in terms of total gross. In its international release it grossed over $130 million. The original "Crocodile" grossed nearly $175 million domestically and over $153 million internationally in 1986.
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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grossed nearly $123 million for just four days over Memorial Day weekend, "Superman" could enjoy out-of-this-world returns for its seven-day "opening weekend." Its Wednesday kickoff will generate heat-of-opening-day ticket sales and get word-of-mouth going. Sunday and Monday should be like two extra Saturday nights since most people won't have to get up to go to work Monday or Tuesday. 
